Stretch limousines are becoming increasingly popular across the UK catering for all sorts of events from teenage parties, hen nights, end of school proms etc.
But sadly their reputation took a massive blow at the tail end of last year when the police found nearly two thirds of the limousine companies were flouting the safety law, many vehicles were un-roadworthy, some potentially dangerous to all the passengers while a few had been linked to drug laundering!
As a motoring journalist I felt rather sad for the limousine industry as they look so cool, but then if they were unsafe, would you risk, say, putting your child and some of his friends in an unsafe vehicle just for the thrill they would get? The answer surely has to be ‘no’ but I decided to find out and contacted a few companies given to me by a leading Chauffer magazine.
I was amazed by the reaction I received. Some companies were utterly rude to me not even acknowledging that there are unsafe limousines out there, and refused to tell me what methods they employ to ensure all their vehicles are safe. That did not bode well with me but then I found and spoke to some genuine limousine companies who were fighting back against these claims and refusing to let a few bad apples rock their cart. This I found very re- assuring as I had a cunning plan up my sleeve! More cunning than a foxes tail to lure a limousine in my direction to appease my dearest son’s ninth birthday wish - to ride in a stretch limo. But not just up and down the road, oh no, all the way to Cardiff - a three hour hike from home - to visit his dream place, The Doctor Who Exhibition.
One company I was particularly impressed with was Star Limousines based in the south cost of England, who were not only extremely polite on the phone but also very concerned about the reputation the industry has been tarnished with and what they are doing to dispel these myths to potential customers. They have built up a very favourable reputation over the last ten years by literally sticking to three golden rules. Reliability – all their vehicles are checked cleaned daily, serviced monthly ensuring mechanical integrity is at its best. Quality as they only hire brand new or nearly new state of the art limousines and are committed to getting their customer to their destination safely, on time and in comfort. Finally, Service, for Star limousines only use experienced chauffeurs who are fully licensed professionals that are smart, polite and courteous.
Well, I thought, could I trust them with my son and heir along with a few select friends for this mammoth trip? The answer was an empathic yes and they were exceptionally accommodating to my prying questions about safety, their drivers etc .so I threw them the gauntlet of proving to me and my readers that there are some genuine companies like Star out there providing safe limousines for those special trips. Needless to say, they accepted.
My son’s dream was about to come true and suddenly he became very popular at school as I did with parents I didn’t even know phone me up asking why thier child had not been invited. I tell you that playground mafia needs sorting.
The big day came and this huge H6 Hummer turned up to squeals of delight from the children and the annoyance of my neighbours who I think are just about talking to me now. Phil, our chauffeur for the day was so polite, pleasant and smartly dressed in a suit which immediately boosted my confidence and faith in this company. The children clambered in, to whoops of ecstatic whelps as they found the cold drinks, packed in ice, sparklingly clean glasses; superb displays of lighting and of course five DVD screens. All sixteen seats had seatbelts and the children quickly settled down taking just seven minutes before they wanted the first of many Doctor Who DVD’s played. Phil closed the partition I thought because of the noise levels rising but in fact it was because there was another DVD screen on the back of the partition. In case we needed to contact him for any reason there was an intercom system so we settled in and do you know what? Not once did I hear those mortal words ‘ are we nearly there yet?’ The ride was silky smooth, seats very comfortable and it was a drama to be driven in such luxury. Phil dropped us right outside the Red Dragon centre home to the Doctor Who exhibition and I found a flaw in the car! . How on earth does one access and exit the H6 Hummer with dignity? As I tumbled out legs akimbo!
The exhibition was much smaller than I imagined with the children taking about five minutes to go through. Luckily there was a questionnaire, which we gave them and dragged it out for at least another 45 minutes. The exhibits were good but I did feel a little cheated of its size compared to the price of admission but it was still worth the trip and children did enjoy it. You can re-enter as many times as you like so we by-passed the shop initially that has every conceivable doctor who merchandise going with a slight price increase compared to the average shops, to look at the areas where they did some filming such as the spot where the cyber man attacked. These were quite interesting but actually difficult for the children to imagine, as all that is left is a concrete pavement. Still Cardiff was looking good and has been developed so well worth a trip in its own right.
Phil duly turned up at the allocated time to take us home and again we basked in the comfort and luxury of the Hummer, the children all chatting excitingly and we popped the cork of the bottle of bubbly Star limousines had kindly laid on for us. Well, it’s been a long day and we deserved it.
All too quickly we arrived home and sadly said our goodbyes and thanks to Phil and the Hummer. It was truly a fantastic day and one my son will remember forever.
Not once did I feel unsafe in the Hummer, not once did I feel wary not just for my children’s safety but for the others we had in this party. Star limousines really did us proud and certainly dispelled any myths about unsafe limos or drug laundering. They are welcoming the new legislation that will probably come into force next year whereby all stretch limousines will have to be fitted with a tachometer to limit the driver’s hours behind the wheel and a speed limiter. As Daniel Roberts, Manager of Star Limousines rightly pointed out ‘if one limousine has an accident resulting in a fatality through speeding the whole industry will suffer. These new legislations will get rid of rogue drivers and unsafe limousines’.
On a personal note I would like to thank Pinewood Studios for the Doctor Who Exhibition and Star Limousines for a wonderful day. They can be contacted on 0800 169 1831 or visit their website Star Limousines
Jackie Violet
Stretch limousines are becoming increasingly popular across the UK catering for all sorts of events from teenage parties, hen nights, end of school proms etc.
But sadly their reputation took a massive blow at the tail end of last year when the police found nearly two thirds of the limousine companies were flouting the safety law, many vehicles were un-roadworthy, some potentially dangerous to all the passengers while a few had been linked to drug laundering!
As a motoring journalist I felt rather sad for the limousine industry as they look so cool, but then if they were unsafe, would you risk, say, putting your child and some of his friends in an unsafe vehicle just for the thrill they would get? The answer surely has to be ‘no’ but I decided to find out and contacted a few companies given to me by a leading Chauffer magazine.
I was amazed by the reaction I received. Some companies were utterly rude to me not even acknowledging that there are unsafe limousines out there, and refused to tell me what methods they employ to ensure all their vehicles are safe. That did not bode well with me but then I found and spoke to some genuine limousine companies who were fighting back against these claims and refusing to let a few bad apples rock their cart. This I found very re- assuring as I had a cunning plan up my sleeve! More cunning than a foxes tail to lure a limousine in my direction to appease my dearest son’s ninth birthday wish - to ride in a stretch limo. But not just up and down the road, oh no, all the way to Cardiff - a three hour hike from home - to visit his dream place, The Doctor Who Exhibition.
One company I was particularly impressed with was Star Limousines based in the south cost of England, who were not only extremely polite on the phone but also very concerned about the reputation the industry has been tarnished with and what they are doing to dispel these myths to potential customers. They have built up a very favourable reputation over the last ten years by literally sticking to three golden rules. Reliability – all their vehicles are checked cleaned daily, serviced monthly ensuring mechanical integrity is at its best. Quality as they only hire brand new or nearly new state of the art limousines and are committed to getting their customer to their destination safely, on time and in comfort. Finally, Service, for Star limousines only use experienced chauffeurs who are fully licensed professionals that are smart, polite and courteous.